Things I'm thinking about...

1. I'm sorry for leaving you for so long. I know my previous "Collections" post was interesting, but not 2 months worth of interesting. :)

2. Yesterday I heard thunder and immediately stopped what I was doing... NW Oregon is not often graced by thunderstorms. Let's just say I haven't heard thunder for a whole year. I was a great treat to sit on our porch and listen, a nice reminder of home.

3. Since April I have had dizzy spells on the barge (at work). This concerned me for a while until I realized it's boating season and the barge is slightly affected by wake caused by the hundreds of boats that pass daily. (just so you know, it didn't take me long to figure that out!)

4. The farmer's markets have been open for the past two months and we are soooo happy to see them again. I'm taking the kids to Sauvie Island later this week to the "you-pick" farms. Due to all the rain (it's been a long spring), all the crops are running several weeks behind, but hopefully there will be some strawberries to pick!

5. I have lots of pictures to share, but first I have to figure out the new blogger. Lots of things have changed during my break from the blog. Pictures include: cute kids, recent hikes, friend getaway over Memorial Day weekend, our apartment, Mom, Aunt Lynn, and Heather's visit, and recent crafts. Stick around, they'll be posted soon...

6. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about our future kiddos. I attribute most of this obsession to the line of work I'm in. I love my job, feel exhausted at the end of everyday, but it is completely worth it. We have names for two of our kids; Heath thinks we have three, but I am strongly opposed to naming one of our kids "Flora". Please back me up on this people. We don't plan on having kids anytime soon, it just excites me to think about what our future might look like in the next 5 years.

7. My family has gone through lots over the past several months, and I'm so glad I'm on this side of it now looking back. There have been and will be major changes, and it's hard to picture what my time will look like when I go home for Christmas this year. It will also be the first time to visit Tennessee without my granddaddy Daniels around. I have missed his laugh lately...

8. This can be held accountable for most of my depressed feelings lately.... we had our first 80 degree day this weekend, and have had only a handful of days in the 70s this whole year. Thus, the sun has not been around for a while. Not trying to complain... I still LOVE living here and am blessed to be surrounded by beautiful scenery daily. We are now recognizing though, the importance of a Hawaiian getaway, which we will be taking Spring of 2012. Good solution, huh?!?

9. Couponing. I'm not going to be the extreme couponer like the ones featured on TLC's tv series. I have been buying Sunday papers though, and follow 2 blogs that basically do all the work for me. I'll post more on this topic later; we did save $30 on last nights grocery bill solely due to my couponing! It feels nice to save our family money.

10. Things I'm excited about:
-Katie Buckel's visit!!!! (next week)
-Tommy and Emily's wedding (August)
-Newton family visit... and Granny and Pawpaw making the trip to see us!!! (August)
-long weekend trip with Heath to Seattle (2 weeks!)
-I'm sure there's more, but I have to leave in 5 minutes for work, so the rest will have to wait. Until next time friends.

A typical day in pictures...

My days are filled with lots of laughs...



Brother-sister bonding time...



Messy lunches with an 18 month old... I love her eyes in this one :)



Sweet little toes...



Crazy bed hair, and cuddles with Andy and Mr. Beaver...



Sweet faces from a baby who looks like a little girl now...



And swing time...


Aren't they cute?

I'll answer that for you... yes, they are!

Birthday post to come in the next day or two. Thank you, dear friends and family, for making this birthday one of the best to date! I love you all.

Kids are Cute

Where is Trinity???



There she is!!!!



Yep, Trinity and I played this game for a good twenty minutes today. Her laughter and smiles were contagious for sure! I'm in love with my job and head-over-heels for these kiddos.

(Don't get any ideas though... we won't be making any additions to our family for a while, I hope.)

So there it is. My icebreaker to begin blogging again. Let's just say, I'm ready to see the month of March. It's my birthday month, the beginning of Spring blooms, the reopening of my Etsy shop, a girls trip to the beach, a relocation for our church, one more snow shoeing hike (hopefully), and one month closer to my mom's visit. :)

More updates and pics to come in the next few days. Miss you all.

Is there a positive side?

So this week has been pretty hard. Terrible, in fact. And I've found myself wishing that this week had never happened so things could just be normal. But that can't happen, and in retrospect, I'm glad about this.

You see, even through the most difficult of times, God still blesses us with lots of positives. I'm really happy I'm beginning to see those.

1. I've been blessed to see several beautiful sunrises this week, which seems a bit abnormal for this time of year.... I guess they always happen, but there's usually thick layers of fog blocking my view.



2. I treated myself to two carmel frappuccinos from Starbucks this week. Mmmm, such a treat. (I knew all that change in my change-purse would be put to good use.)

3. After doing 4 loads of the kids laundry at work yesterday, I dreaded coming home to do ours. When I arrived, I found all my clothes neatly folded on the bed, and the laundry hamper empty. Thank you, Heath. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help. (oh, and he did the dishes. :)

4. This week has brought an overwhelming presence of love from my past and present friends and family. It's so nice to receive these texts, emails, and phone calls. What a blessing to know how much we are loved and cared for.

5. Mt. Hood has been hiding for a while, but I've seen her 3 times this week from the barge. What a beautiful sight.



6. The kids decided not to take naps yesterday. (Why, oh Why?!? No, that is definitely not the positive.) I think Shirley (their mom) noticed my stress levels were high, so yesterday afternoon we did something abnormal. We danced around the kitchen and made chocolate iced cupcakes. It was magic. And, we each got our own spatula to lick at the end. Tristan got the whole bowl and paddle... I'm glad I wasn't there to put him to bed :)



7. Last Thursday, I used my JoAnn's coupons and bought supplies for watercolor painting. I was debating on whether or not to keep the set... I'm glad I did. It's provided a good outlet for me this week. You should try it...

8. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in my job. I didn't think nannying was beneath me, I just never expected to be doing something like this. My full-time job is being a mom to these two kiddos, and you know what? I'm pretty darn good at it. I love taking care of them and receiving their sweet hugs and kisses each day. I am so thankful for this family.



I'm sure there are other positives, but I just started to allow myself to see them. Give me a few more days, and I'm sure I'll come up with some more.

I love you all. Thank you for reading.

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5

Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for these days.

-My God who knows me so well and shows unconditional love. I have learned so much about patience and trust this year (and I am still learning).

-A loving husband who has been full of encouragement and understanding these past few months. I'm so glad to share this adventure with him.

-A cozy home that has already been blessed by our family and friends.

-Precious families to share the holidays with... We were spoiled by my parents this Thanksgiving (I'll post more on that later), and are excited to visit our Texas family in just a few short weeks! Heath and I were able to share some much needed time with Granddad Daniels. I am very thankful for him and the time we were able to share last week.



-A church community that has blessed us already! May we continue to grow in relationships and Agape love.

-Our Portland friends! Thank you for embracing us and making us feel a part of your community. :)

-On a less important, but still thankful, note.... I can still wear my wedding dress! I slipped it on for a while last Sunday and enjoyed its beauty.



-Though there are many more things, I will end my list with this: I am thankful that I have a job! As of last Monday, I will be a full-time nanny for two little ones that live on a barge. Yes, that's right, a barge... really it's a large houseboat, but it's fascinating for sure. Yesterday was my first day! Pray that I transition smoothly into this full-time gig, and that the kids warm up to me quickly. I'm really excited and blessed to be working for such a lovely family!

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving friend. I have missed you!

Updates and my new hairdo.

hello there. Just wanted to give you a brief update on the Newton household....
We've been on vacation now for two, beautiful, short months and it has been so wonderful. I'm glad Heath likes to explore and travel as much as I do! We went on 9 hikes, 10 walks through the city (with our walking and hiking books), tried lots of new cuisine, and explored the Oregon and California coast. Awesome. We also had the lovely Newton family come for a visit, as well as my mom, who left yesterday. Pictures will be posted soon.

Heath just attended Pacific University's orientation for the grad program, and will personally meet his professors and fellow classmates on Thursday. I am so proud of him and excited for him to learn more about his passion. Pacific is lucky to have him.

I just applied for a job yesterday, and am working on applying for three more tonight and tomorrow. One job in particular has really caught my eye, and it's an organization that I am very familiar with... even better, it's located less than 5 miles from our house. Keep this in your prayers please! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but have started to become excited about job opportunities. that's good, right!?

Also... starting tomorrow, my Etsy store will finally be open for business! It's called "katie's handmades" (I know, I know. So creative.) and I am so happy to finally begin listing items. Most of you know, I love to create, but rarely actually complete the projects. Maybe this will be the end of that bad habit. Anyways, I'm going to post my upcycled address files, flower hair pins, bakers twine, upcycled Anthropology envelopes, and embossed notecards. I'm excited! I'll post a link for the store tomorrow.

Last but not least... I got my haircut last week. It's short and fun. So much easier to handle than my long hair! Maybe next time I'll cut it even shorter :)



Have a lovely day friend

Mail...

After purchasing my camera Sunday night, I have been anxiously awaiting its arrival. This afternoon, one could only imagine how elated I was to see this package waiting for me on my doorstep. I was so happy about it I even took a picture...


While overcome with joy and excitement, I snatched my box up quickly and ran inside, later realizing that I had left my keys in the door. This I apparently deemed worthy of a picture as well. (I was excited, can't you tell?!?)


I wanted to share this moment with Heath, so I waited five, whole, long minutes to open the box. I thought about writing a blog about my new camera... posting pictures of the pretty red flowers in my backyard, and what I cooked for dinner. As Heath opened the door, I began to tear open the box, and saw this...


A crazy antenna. Heath bought this for us to use in Portland so we don't have to pay for cable. Heath thought this was hilarious. I did not. Now it kind of is, but not then. :) My impatience has now set in... I just can't wait!

In other news, my time with Communities In Schools will be complete on June 2nd. I have been so blessed through working with these students, and it will be hard to leave, knowing that I mostly likely will never see any of them again. We have been planning an end of the year party for both of my middle school campuses, and I volunteered to make all of the desserts... yeah, I'm not quite sure what I was thinking.


I borrowed several 13x9 pans and raided Walmart's shopping aisles, and quickly decided to make brownies and Rice Krispie treats. 2am, 4 pans of Rice Krispies, 4 pans of brownies and 2 more about to come out of the oven. Hope the kiddos enjoy! :)